1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electrical junction box equipped with a plurality of fuse attachment portions, and particularly relates to an electrical junction box in which a plurality of fuse attachment portions are arranged side by side and open to a lateral side of a box body.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electrical junction boxes, such as junction boxes in automobiles and the like are equipped with a large number of fuse attachment portions to which fuses are attached for preventing an overcurrent from flowing to various electrical components. U.S. Pat. No. 7,927,111 discloses an electrical junction box in which fuse attachment portions are arranged side by side and open to a lateral side of a box body to enable a large number of fuses to be attached with high space efficiency.
The connecting terminals of the electrical junction box of U.S. Pat. No. 7,927,111 have an L-shaped bent portion to enable the fuses to be attached from the lateral side of the box body. The connecting terminals with the L-shaped bend are inserted into and supported by respective terminal insertion holes in a terminal support block so that connecting portions to which the respective fuses are connected extend laterally from the box body.
Fuses of the electrical junction box shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,927,111 are inserted from the side of the box body and push the connecting terminals during the connection process. Thus, the connecting terminals may move backward and may not be connected stably to the fuses. FIG. 4 of U.S. Pat. No. 7,927,111 addresses this issue by inserting support pins into the terminal support block. The support pins engage the connecting terminals perpendicularly to the connecting terminals, and support the connecting terminals against a pushing force that exerted during insertion of the fuses.
A large number of connecting terminals are supported in the terminal support block and each must be engaged by a support pin. Accordingly, during insertion of the support pins into the terminal support block, it is necessary that all of the connecting terminals are inserted correctly into the terminal support block, and thus there has been a problem that much time and effort is required for assembly.
The invention was made in view of the above-described circumstances, and it is an object thereof to provide an electrical junction box having a novel structure that enables a plurality of fuse attachment portions that are arranged side by side and open to a lateral side of a box body to be formed with a narrow pitch while securing the ease of assembly of connecting terminals.